W. (2008/I)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writer (WGA):

Stanley Weiser (written by)

Release Date:

17 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Get Ready

Plot:

A chronicle on the life and presidency of George W. Bush.

Plot Keywords:

George W. Bush | President | 2000s | USA | Oil

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Josh Brolin	...	George W. Bush
Colin Hanks	...	Speechwriter #1
Toby Jones	...	Karl Rove
Dennis Boutsikaris	...	Paul Wolfowitz
Jeffrey Wright	...	Colin Powell
Thandie Newton	...	Condoleezza Rice
Scott Glenn	...	Donald Rumsfeld
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Dick Cheney
Bruce McGill	...	George Tenet
Wes Chatham	...	Fraternity Enforcer
Jesse Bradford	...	Fraternity President
Sean Stone	...	Fraternity Pledge #1
Ben Mayer	...	Fraternity Pledge #2
James Cromwell	...	George H.W. Bush
Juan Gabriel Pareja	...	Oil Worker

Also Known As:

Bush (USA) (working title)
Oliver Stone's W. (Germany) (TV title)
W. - Ein missverstandenes Leben (Germany) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language including sexual references, some alcohol abuse, smoking and brief disturbing war images.

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA | Hong Kong | Germany | UK | Australia

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44818) | UK:15 | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:PG | Finland:K-7 | Australia:M | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Germany:12 | Brazil:14 | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:NC-16 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Emperor Motion Pictures

Trivia:

This movie was filmed sequentially. Josh Brolin lost a considerable amount of weight to play W. in his youth and had to quickly gain it back to play him middle-aged.

Goofs:

Continuity: At Bush's 40th birthday party, when the cake is finally rolled out, the candle on the right is not lit. When it cuts (almost instantly) to the wait staff putting the cake on the table, it is lit.

Quotes:

Reporter #2: How do you plan to change the school finance formula?
George W. Bush: I for one will not stand for the subsidization of failure. How do you know if you measure up if you have a system that simply
[sic]
George W. Bush: suckles them through.
Reporter #2: What about our failed schools? Do you think the state needs to take them over?
George W. Bush: More government's not the answer. We must have the attitude that every child in America, regardless where raised can learn. Rarely is the question asked is their children learning.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America - A Final Night with George W Bush (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Robin Hood

Only in America.

That's what great artists do. They share their P.O.V with the rest of the world. There is no judgment involved, not really. Just a vision of the world through his own heart and soul. You may or may not agree with his vision but his artistic honesty is undeniable. The George W Bush of Oliver Stone is not a bad guy just an utterly incomplete man with too much power. Junior seems to be immune to guilt and as horrific a trait that is for the leader of the free world it also makes him profoundly human. The question is, this guy is the President of the United States a country who won the admiration of the world through deeds not words. Through compassion and inspiration, the acceptable, even, desirable face of capitalism. The last 8 years have damaged the face of America around the world just because the man a the helm didn't have any talent for it. Nothing more sinister than that but just as dangerous. Josh Brolin is superb not looking like the real man the illusion, at times, was total. Richard Dreyfuss was born to play the "vice" he is eerily perfect. The Condy Rice of Thandie Newton is as enigmatic as the real Condy Rice. As I'm writing this a thought crossed my mind. Only in America could be a film like W. be financed and distributed in a Country where the subject is still the sitting president. By showing us his emotional and intellectual P.O.V Oliver Stone has shown to the world one more time that the United States of America is still ahead of the rest of the world precisely because of this. The sacred respect for the first amendment. You're right Mr Stone, America is great.